Young Adults in Arizona Take Big Hit Under Obamacare

On Monday, President Obama will personally address the growing crisis that surrounds the ill-fated launch of Obamacare on the federal and state insurance exchanges.

In a White House event, the President will detail administration actions to correct the national embarrassment caused by the inability of citizens to access the Obamacare website and submit applications that would facilitate shopping for health care insurance.

It will be a typical White House performance. There will be some admission of fault, but the main thrust will be public relations crowing about the advantages of Obamacare. Citizens will be brought in as props to attest to Obamacare’s success.

The administration’s effort will do nothing to help a key Obamacare audience – the young people essential to finance the program. Without their participation, Obamacare will be unable to provide health care to older participants more likely to seek care.

For young people, Obamacare provides severe sticker shock. In most states, insurance premiums for young people under Obamacare are far higher than premiums for insurance available today in the free market. As a result, young people may simply skip buying health insurance and elect to pay the modest fine for refusing to participate in Obamacare.

The sticker shock for 27-year-old adults in Arizona is one of the worst in the nation. A survey by the Heritage Foundation revealed that these adults in Arizona would experience an average monthly premium increase of 156.7 percent for insurance under Obamacare compared to insurance available before Obamacare takes effect.

This increase in monthly insurance costs for young adults places Arizona among states that will see the greatest increases for such coverage, along with Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas Vermont, and Virginia.

While increases in premiums under Obamacare can be substantial for adults aged 50 and families of four, the increases for young adults are much higher in most states.

No technical adjustments promised to repair the disastrous Obamacare rollout will change the economics of the system. Premiums will go up across the board; young people will be hit the hardest. When they ignore Obamacare entirely, the system will fail.

Following is a list of the states that compares the costs of buying health insurance before Obamacare and on the Obamacare exchanges for adults aged 27, adults age 50, and a family of four: